Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Vainu Bappu Observatory - Javadu Hills

After reaching Jamunamarathur –
the capital villages of Javadu Hills, and having lunch, that we brought along
with us from home, we are told by the guest house care taker that they will
allow into the observatory only by 5 pm,
to watch through the telescope. So he suggested leaving by 4 pm as it is
10 km from there and since having two more hours to go, we decided to explore
the small lake and garden at half a km from the guest house. The lake and
garden were not so attractive, and the lake is nothing but a conversion of
already existing village lake that used for irrigation to the fields around.
The real pretty sights are beheld around the lake, where fresh green paddy
fields gleaming at us to expose to sunlight amid mild step farming.

The main course of this trip was
to check the observatory and it was first time for me visiting an observatory, other
than the only place I visited regard to space was Chennai Birla Planetarium.
Vainu Bappu Observatory located at Kavalur village on the Javadu Hills holds
the largest telescope of Asia, which was named after the great Indian
astronomer and discoverer of Wilson-Bappu effect, Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu. VBO
is an astronomical observatory behind many unique discoveries on space and reading
remarkable cosmic rays, through the 1 and 2.3 meters telescope, the observatory
has detected atmosphere around the Jupiter’s satellite Ganymded and rings
around Uranus and Saturn. In 1988, a new minor planet was discovered using the
43cm Schmidt telescope and it was named after mathematics genius Ramanujam.

The observatory is isolated from
any activities of being and almost surrounded by vast reserve forest, stands as
a testimony to Indian astronomy. We reached the observatory early in time traveled
thought the dense forest, but we were not allowing inside the campus and
requested to wait sometime until the early batch comes out. I know that we need
to walk nearly a km from the entrance to the main observatory; I kept my power
wheel chair fully charged but enquiring a couple who came out we become
uncertain about the distance. Even though we decided to progress, the guard
noticed me allowed to take our car inside and we find more than 100 school
students come out of the observatory.

Me and my family

First I was mislead by the white
cylindrical building with dome that holds 43” telescope which resembles the 93”
telescope, the largest among the observatories inside the VBO. Then we were
redirected to the main building with more widely in breadth and spectacular
height. The observatory being elevated from the others, cool breeze brushes
once get out of the car and we were taken by the lift to the top floor where
the largest telescope was assembled. The telescope was attached to a huge hydraulic
machine that turns and moves up and down, manually and as well automatically
sitting on two wide column. It was like a dream come true when the aluminum
plated dome open to sky view, and rotate through a rack rail which could go
around 360 degree.

I felt rotating
along with the dome when looking above and goose bumped, stimulated by the
entirely new setting and following the conversation with one of a scientist
demonstrating the operation of telescope, took me to infinite stage. Many of us
generally know the universe that exists within our solar system, but there
could be immense such systems in our galaxy with earth like spheres where
people could live and seek to connect alike. The observatory plays a vital role
in studying the universe and does a front-line research with the telescopes
here. It was something amazing that I couldn't even image that we were standing
close to an object that beholds the mystery which is impossible through naked
eyes. And I feel like touching an endless height.

The floor below
the telescope has a round iron platform which I first through to rotate, but
the scientist cleared our doubt later by operating the hydraulic platform that
lifts to make easy the service of telescope. He explained that it is a kind of
facility that any other observatory doesn't hold and they keep an eye clean on
lens always. The observatory has a steal platform; going around the dome outside
the building holds a 360 degree view on the landscape of total forest area. So
it is out of noise and light disturbance, which is the main obstacle for reading
light rays and except the entrance, overall campus doesn't have a light
facility and was completely electric fenced to keep away wild animals.

I feel bad for
not taking my camera inside the observatory thinking they might not allow,
because of security. But some took photos with their mobiles and there were no restrictions,
and I only got to capture the building and natural setting of the campus. I was
really wishing to watch something through the largest telescope but these are
used only at night and not for public to watch. They have a 6” telescope for
public to view stars and planets after dusk and we really had to wait for an
hour to watch through telescope. But for me that even wasn't a chance because
the viewing point of the telescope was kept high and need to climb few steps.

18 comments:

This must have been a fascinating visit. I have never been to an observatory -- I'm sure I would enjoy the opportunity to visit one. I'm sorry you didn't have your camera inside -- the pictures would have been very interesting. I'm also sorry you weren't able to view through the telescope.

If you had seen through the telescope, you would have seen the past. I mean, light takes many years to reach the earth from other stars/galaxies. So, if the galaxy was destroyed by some natural phenomenon before a month (for example), you'll still be able to see it, because the images that you see were carried by light that left the stars many years back. The very realization shocks us and reminds us of our insignificance in the scheme of things.

About Me

A simple person and not highly educated, but enough with sense and knowledge. I learn everything through my experience and reading. I’m diagnosed by Muscular Dystrophy (Limb Girdle), which’s a cause of losing muscles strength and I move everywhere on my power wheelchair. For me there is nothing greater than my parents and no world beyond them. I like spending only on need and content with what I have and like things being simple and neat. An atheist, I believe in nature (the best) and love visiting and staying along with nature. I'm a passionate traveler and believe life begins only outside the windows! The blog is where I sustain into the overseas society and I wish a lot and don’t think so serious and try to live the moment happily enjoying the beautiful thoughts and imagination that exist. I like kids and strongly believe good children are gift to society and hard work is where everything stood on. I love places that adjoin mountains and ocean, and like to spend time with people, as well solitude in nature. I like being honest to myself and with others, and blogging has influenced a lot in my life with friend support, care and love.